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Wilson names Ramirez White Sox top defender

Wilson names Ramirez White Sox top defender

9/22/12: Alexei Ramirez fields the chopper and makes a strong throw to first to retire Howard Kendrick in the fifth inning

By Scott Merkin
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MLB.com |

CHICAGO -- Alexei Ramirez was selected as the 2012 White Sox best defensive player during the inaugural Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards, announced on Sunday night on MLB Network.

Each club had a winner, while each league was awarded a top defensive player. A best overall defensive team was also chosen. The winners were determined by the detailed statistical analysis of MLB Network's "shredder system," used by Clubhouse Confidential, plus input from MLB Network analysts.

Ramirez, 31, is commonly considered one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, although he has never captured a Rawlings Gold Glove. His 2.4 defensive WAR (wins above replacement) placed him fifth in the American League among position players, trailing only Brendan Ryan, J.J. Hardy, Brett Lawrie and Denard Span. All four of those players also won Wilson awards.

Ramirez's .982 fielding percentage ranked him fifth among AL shortstops, and his 434 assists were second only to Hardy. Other Wilson winners in the AL Central included Austin Jackson, Lorenzo Cain and Jason Kipnis. Mike Trout was the overall AL winner, Michael Bourn was the overall National League winner and the Atlanta Braves ended up as the team winner.

Many more postseason awards are on the horizon, with the GIBBY Awards now just one month away. This year's GIBBY Awards feature nominees in 21 categories.

GIBBY trophies also will be awarded for the year's top play, storyline, hitting performance, pitching performance, oddity, walk-off, Cut4 topic and postseason moment, from MLB.com's Must C highlight reels. Winners will be presented their GIBBY trophies at the MLB.com Greatness in Baseball Yearly Awards extravaganza during the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Dec. 4.

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Merk's Works, and follow him on Twitter @scottmerkin. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.